Report: Sunken Ferry Crew Unfamiliar with Equipment

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

According to sources, a report says crew of sunken ferry may have been unfamiliar with equipment.
A suggestion is being made that bridge crew on the Queen of the North were unfamiliar with newly installed steering equipment.
A preliminary finding into the ferry sinking also says the crew was so unacquainted with the new electronic equipment's night settings that they turned off a monitor displaying their course.
In a letter to B.C. Ferries CEO David Hahn a Safety Board Investigator said that action negated the benefits of the real-time display of the vessel's track and position vis-à-vis the planned courses and course alterations.

In the meantime, an order has gone out that all ship's officers who stand a navigational watch must sign documentation that they are sufficiently familiar with bridge equipment.
Source: CKNW